Inishturk

This article is about the island in County Mayo. For the similarly named islands in Counties Mayo and Galway, see Inish Turk Beg and Inishturk South.

Inishturk (Inis Toirc in Irish, meaning Wild Boar Island) is an inhabited island of County Mayo, in Ireland.^[4]

Inishturk

Native name: Inis Toirc
North coast of Inishturk
Inishturk
Geography
Location	Atlantic Ocean
Coordinates	53.7014°N 10.1083°W / 53.7014; -10.1083
Area	6 km2 (2.3 sq mi)[1]
Highest elevation	189.3 m (621.1 ft)[2]
Administration
Ireland
Province	Connacht
County	Mayo
Demographics
Population	56 (2022)[3]
Pop. density	8.5/km2 (22/sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Irish

Geography

Islands off County Mayo

The island lies about 15 km (9 mi) off the coast; its highest point reaches 189.3 m (621.1 ft) above sea level.^[2] Between Inisturk and Clare Island lies Caher Island. It has a permanent population of 58 people.^[5] There are two main settlements, both on the more sheltered eastern end of the island, Ballyheer and Garranty. Bellavaun and Craggy are abandoned settlements.

History

Inishturk has been inhabited on and off since 4,000 BCE and has been inhabited permanently since at least 1700.^[6] Some of the island's more recent inhabitants are descended from evacuees from Inishark to the southwest.^{[citation needed]}

A Martello tower was built during the Napoleonic Wars, c. 1805, on Inishturk's western coast.^[7]

Recent history

In 1993, Inishturk Community centre was opened, this community centre doubles as a library and a pub. In June 2014 the ESB commissioned three new Broadcrown BCP 110-50 100kVA diesel generators to supply electricity to the island.^[8] The ESB have operated a diesel power station on the island since the 1980s^[9]

Inishturk gained international attention in 2016 after a number of websites claimed that the island would welcome any American "refugees" fleeing a potential Donald Trump presidency.^[10][11][12] These were examples of the type of "fake news" that arose during the 2016 US presidential election campaign.^[13]

The island is home to a primary school on the island which in 2011 had only 3 pupils; this is believed to be the smallest primary school in Ireland.^[14]

Demographics

The table below reports data on Inisturk's population taken from Discover the Islands of Ireland (Alex Ritsema, Collins Press, 1999) and the Census of Ireland.

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1841 577 —     1851 174 −69.8% 1861 110 −36.8% 1871 112 +1.8% 1881 116 +3.6% 1891 135 +16.4% 1901 135 +0.0% 1911 132 −2.2% 1926 101 −23.5%	Year Pop. ±% 1936 107 +5.9% 1946 125 +16.8% 1951 123 −1.6% 1956 110 −10.6% 1961 108 −1.8% 1966 92 −14.8% 1971 83 −9.8% 1979 85 +2.4% 1981 76 −10.6%	Year Pop. ±% 1986 90 +18.4% 1991 78 −13.3% 1996 83 +6.4% 2002 72 −13.3% 2006 58 −19.4% 2011 53 −8.6% 2016 51 −3.8% 2022 56 +9.8%
Source: Central Statistics Office. "CNA17: Population by Off Shore Island, Sex and Year". CSO.ie. Retrieved 12 October 2016.

Transport

Prior to 1997 there was no scheduled ferry service and people traveled to and from the islands using local fishing boats. Since then a ferry service operates from Roonagh Quay, Louisburgh, County Mayo.^[15] The pier was constructed during the 1980s by the Irish government, around this time the roads on the island were paved.^[16]

Gallery

• 
  Inisturk and Caher island
• 
  Inishturk pier
• 
  Harbour with Caher Island in background
• 
  Community centre
• 
  Freshwater lake
• 
  Clare Island as seen from Inishturk
• 
  Power station

See also

• Ireland portal
• Islands portal

• Inishdalla
• Inishbofin, County Galway
• List of islands of Ireland

References

1. R. Lloyd Praeger (March 1907). "The Flora of Inishturk". The Irish Naturalist. 16 (3): 113–125. JSTOR 25523043. Inishturk lies off the Mayo coast [..] It is also much smaller than either [of its neighbours], having an area of 2¹⁄₄ square miles, as against Bofin's 4¹⁄₂ square miles (Inishark included), and Clare's 6¹⁄₆ square miles
2. "Inisturk". MountainViews. Ordnance Survey Ireland. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
3. Population of Inhabited Islands Off the Coast (Report). Central Statistics Office. 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
4. Sometimes the island's name is reported as Inisturk, as for instance by Google Maps
5. "No Christmas medical cover on island of Inishturk". breakingnews.ie. 24 December 2014.
6. "Mayo Walks - Inishturk". Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
7. "Ten Reasons to Take a Trip to Inishturk". destinationwestport.com. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
8. BC Inishturk case study
9. New hope for Inishturk Archived 12 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine, esbelectricmail.com. Accessed 29 September 2022.
10. "Inishturk: The Tiny Irish Island That Will Welcome American Refugees". Retrieved 29 September 2022.
11. Huffington Post - Looking to escape Donald Trump, Huffingtonpost.com. Accessed 29 September 2022.
12. Remote Irish island seeks American fleeing Donald Trump presidency, Irishcentral.com. Accessed 29 September 2022.
13. "Fake news is big business - and may have handed Trump the election". The Business Post. 20 November 2016.
14. Three-pupil school urges families to consider move to 'idyllic' island, irishtimes.com. Accessed 29 September 2022.
15. "islander committed to her community". Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
16. Winter Inishturk

External links

• Media related to Inishturk at Wikimedia Commons
• Podcast series on Mayo's Heritage, including a heritage Tour of Inishturk Archived 20 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine
• Mayo News - Inishturk islander committed to her community Archived 11 July 2021 at the Wayback Machine
• Island life Inishbofin Inishturk
• Irish Islands - Inishturk